The grand chambers were quiet.
High marble walls wrapped around Cian like a cage. Velvet curtains blocked the moonlight. Expensive furniture stood untouched, irrelevant to him.
Cian Archdemon stood shirtless before the tall mirror, his small frame illuminated by faint crystal lamps. His cold, glassy grey eyes dissected his reflection — not with vanity… but as a scientist dissects a specimen.
Muscle tone: Slight, developing.
Bone density: Increased by 14%.
Beast bloodline markers: Confirmed.
Anomaly factors: Soul fusion… incomplete.
In his mind, the Divine System purred to life:
💻 "Welcome back, Master. Private space confirmed. External surveillance: neutralised. Shall we proceed with self-analysis and experimental observation?"
Cian's lips curled faintly — not in amusement, but anticipation.
"Proceed," he ordered softly.
The mirror flickered — data streamed across his vision. Transparent diagrams of his skeletal structure, muscle fibers, even subtle energy circuits overlayed his body.
💻 "Beast bloodline identified: 63% integration complete. Expected growth rate: accelerated. Combat efficiency: subpar for now… but evolving."
Cian clenched his fist, flexing tendons, feeling the raw, unfamiliar strength pulsing beneath his young skin.
His mind spiralled.
"New body: superior baseline. Potential for accelerated evolution: confirmed. Weakness… emotional instability if exploited. Solution: absolute emotional suppression… except for strategic displays."
The System chimed sweetly again:
💻 "Mental processing speed: 247% of biological norm. Curiosity quotient: extreme. Danger response: suppressed. Pain receptors… fascinatingly dulled by overthinking patterns. Recommend caution, Master — your ability to feel injury is… compromised."
Cian's tongue traced faintly along his inner cheek — the metallic memory of blood resurfacing from earlier beatings.
It amused him — clinically.
"Even pain… irrelevant when the mind is dominant."
His cold gaze shifted to his hands.
Beast bloodline… human form… fragmented soul from another world… and now, this Divine System whispering to him like a curious demon.
His eyes darkened with quiet, monstrous resolve.
"I'll surpass this body," Cian whispered, "this kingdom… even the limits of the universe itself."
The Divine System responded, its voice teasing yet respectful:
💻 "Ambition detected. Psychological profile: dangerously stable. Recommended protocol: complete curiosity-driven evolution. Failure probability… 0.3%."
A faint smile — cold, calculated — touched Cian's lips.
"Then let's begin."
Without hesitation, he began moving — slow, precise strikes through the air. Testing limb extension, muscle memory, reaction speed. His small figure moved with inhuman grace for his age — each motion recorded, dissected, improved.
Minutes turned to hours.
Beads of sweat formed… but his eyes never wavered.
Pain?
Exhaustion?
Sleep?
Irrelevant.
Only evolution mattered.
💻 "Master… fatigue approaching dangerous threshold. Logical recommendation: rest cycle engaged."
Cian exhaled softly, finally lowering his arms.
He approached the large window, drawing the curtain aside.
The Beastmaster Kingdom sprawled beyond — glittering cities, beast tamer arenas, noble towers… all ignorant of the quiet predator watching them.
His cold, glassy eyes gleamed faintly beneath the moonlight.
"First, this kingdom," he whispered. "Then… everything else."
The Divine System purred like a satisfied devil.
💻 "Experiment initiated. Universe… within reach."